Smile For Me by A. Paris (top 10 books of all time TXT) 📕

The morning air was gentle. Citrus trees and flower gardens lent out their fragrance creating a pleasant mood for Ella as she walked to school. It was her third week in her new home. Things had begun to feel more and more natural for her. Slowly, Ella was allowing herself to believe that her and Bobby had a place to call their own.

Her new home had began to offer comfort, a reprieve from a life time of worry and uncertainty. There were no strangers in this place. No one was waiting to ambush her or hurt her. She had even begun to allow her new parents a small crevice inside of her heart. There was still a long way to go before she could dare to say she trusted them, but slowly, very slowly her heart was opening.

Ethan watched her from the back seat of his car as she approached the school. From the first day she’d arrived his brown eyes had been watching her. Not once had she cast him a glance. His strange behavior had become borderline obsession. Ethan Hallowood had always been noticed. Eyes were naturally drawn to him, he was used to such treatment. He was attractive, and rich. He had a nice build and influence. He was lacking for nothing. For a woman, that he couldn’t help but constantly notice, to not notice him aggravated him. He was a torrent of confusion, lost to his own jumble of feelings. He despised Ella, more and more with each passing day.

At school news of her had spread. As her name implied, she was like a beautiful fairy, not truly belonging to this world. Her constant indifferent expression fueled the illusion that she was untouchable. She walked the halls like an ice princess. Eyes would turn almost against their will, and watch her as she passed. Her very existence drew attention from every avenue, yet Ella remained oblivious, almost as if her eyes couldn’t be bothered to notice the attention she received.

He watched as a breeze blew against her hair sending a small tuft across her lips. She raised a delicate hand and brushed it away tucking it behind her ears. Around her Ethan noticed the others watching her along with him. Some would stop momentarily just to stare at the passing fairy, others had been watching her for as long as he had.

She stopped for a moment and shook her foot to remove a small pebble from her sandal. She looked up then, and, only now, noticed that she had drawn a great deal of attention. Still there remained no change in her stoic expression.

“Did you find out about her?” Ethan asked. The man who sat next to him nodded his head and handed him a folder. His name was Butler Amos, he’d been by Ethan’s side since the day he had been born.

“Until four weeks ago, she lived in an orphanage. There’s a record of temporary homes that she lived in for short periods, but the majority of her time since she was ten, was spent here. She and her younger brother were adopted by the Emmerson family. Mr. John Emmereson is under the employment of one of your families smaller financing firms.”

Ethan’s brows drew together. He was feeling shocked. To think that this beautiful creature that he had become enamored with had a background like this, shocked him. He felt she had no right to draw his attention. He believed such a person should not have even been allowed to enter his presence, let alone a place inside his thoughts.

Ethan scanned through the folder that rested on his lap, stopping briefly at each picture of Ella. Many of her photos were in a Polaroid fashion, her sitting staring at the camera as if posing for an I.D. Still, even in such photos there was no denying how beautiful she was.

Along with her photos were some pictures of her brother. He was a small boy with a face almost as angelic in nature as Ella’s. Ethan paused at a word that rested under one of the boy’s photos. ‘Autism’.

Once again he became agitated that such a girl, with such a family had been harassing his thoughts.

“What happened to her parents?” He asked.

Butler Amos cleared his throat, “Her father died when she was ten. Her mother abandoned them previous to his death. I‘m not certain where she is now. ” Butler Amos always formal, was apologetic that he had been unable to answer all of Ethan’s questions. “We’re still looking into it.”

“No need. I wont’ be bothered by her any more. She was just a small nuisance, I’ve learned enough,” he tossed the folder towards Butler Amos and stepped from the car.

The driver was waiting studiously for him. He helped Ethan put on his jacket then quietly shut the door behind him. Ethan cast one more glance towards the girl, that was now distant from his view, and felt assured that he would now be able to rid himself of the strange obsession that had been consuming him.

His walk was slow and steady. His dark eyes too haughty to take in his surroundings. Around him girls and even guys took time to notice him as he passed. The girls with star stuck admiration, and the guys with subtle submissive respect. Some bowed lightly as his presence brushed past their own. Others looked away trying to avoid conflict with the notorious temperament that he often bestowed on passerby’s.

His phone rang. Ethan paused in his gate and pulled it from his pocket.

“Mother” the caller id read.

He stiffly lifted the phone to his ear, “Speaking.”

“Your needed here. Your father’s not improving. You’ll have to stand in his stead for the next few months,” his mothers voice was firm, and left no lead way. Ethan snapped the phone shut then turned back towards the still waiting car. Butler Amos was already waiting for him, standing beside the closed door.

“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” Ethan growled, agitated by the lack of forewarning.

The butler bowed, “I only just now received the message,” he bowed again apologetic hoping to avoid angering the young master any farther. “I’ve already arranged the jet. We can arrive in Paris within the day.”

Ella sat quietly next to Jamie. The girl continued to talk to her, offering slight entertainment during the lunch hour. Ella was still unsure why she had allowed herself to befriend this loud somewhat overbearing girl.

“Then my dad said that I could take a year off from the piano lessons as long as I agreed to follow him this summer for his business trip in Milan. At first I didn’t think it was a fair trade off, then I remembered that it was Milan! Why would that even be a decision?” Jamie was babbling.

“So you decided to go then?” Ella asked, not interested, but polite.

Jamie nodded her head vigorously. Ella smiled at her enthusiasm.

“Oh! You smiled! That was a real smile!” Jamie said only half in jest. A small rosy blush covered Ella’s features, slightly abashed by her brazen friend. Jamie hadn’t meant to shout out such a thing, but she’d been caught off guard, slightly enraptured at how breathtaking Ella had been when she truly smiled.

“Sorry,” She mumbled. Her eyes lit up again as an idea came to her. “Do you want to come over to my house this weekend Ella? I have a pool! We can dress up and….” Jamie stopped noticing the reluctant look that had come into Ella’s eyes.

“I don’t think I can,” Ella answered softly.

Jamie was only slightly disappointed, as she had expected her to answer that way. More and more Jamie was becoming interested in meeting the younger brother that Ella was so endeared to. Her love for the sibling seemed to be at an almost un-natural level. Never before had she met a person so concerned with a sibling like Ella was.

“You could bring Bobby,” Jamie hedged.

Ella’s eyes lit up the smallest fraction. Her gaze was soft as she turned towards her friend, “You wouldn’t mind?”

Jamie’s eyes sparkled. “Of course not! I want to meet him too! You only seem to become a person when your talking about him,” Jamie’s words were cautious, yet truthful. “Bring him! You and him both. I’ll let my mom know.”

The conversation ended to Jamie’s satisfaction. Finally she had found a way to bring her friend home. As beautiful and enchanting as Ella was, she was that much mysterious and out of reach. Ella to Jamie seemed like a illusion that was only there for a moment. Soon Ella would be too far for Jamie to reach. Even not understanding why she felt that way, Jamie could feel the truth in this deep down to her bones.

The weekend drifted closer and Bobby became more and more excited about the prospect of visiting a friend of his sisters. Never before had his older sister called someone friend. Bobby although young, understood that sadness of such a thing. To him a friend was something precious. Even with his inability to easily make them, he always put an effort in doing so. His sissy whom he saw as an angel had finally found one of her own. Bobby was filled with secret happiness that shined through his eyes when the day arrived.

“You look happy today Bobby,” Ella said watching him from her seat at the window.

He beamed at her, “I’m happy to go swimming.”

Ella smiled tenderly, “You’re that excited?”

He nodded his head emphatically.

“You two wont be gone too long will you?” Tracy asked watching her new children from the door way. Ella’s eyes turned towards her. “ I don’t mind you going out, I just want to make sure you make it home for dinner. Make sure you watch Bobby carefully while at the pool and don’t let him stay in too long.”

Ella nodded her head. She